


Lessons Remembered

by MaidOfWin



Category: Warframe
Genre: Also T H E C O N C L A V E, Hurt/Comfort, Memory Loss, Not a pairing!, Spoilers, Teshin is married to his work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-02-07 06:36:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18615133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaidOfWin/pseuds/MaidOfWin
Summary: Memories can be inviting.  They can lift your spirits and warm your heart... Or they can fester like an open wound.Set just after The War Within.  Expect spoilers for other quests in future chapters.





	1. Mistral

  
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Teshin stood upon the snowy precipice basking in the warm sun and the cold cleansing wind. With the Elder Queen dead, it felt like the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders. 'Is this what freedom feels like?' the thought to himself. When was the last time he had felt this free? Before he had taken his Dax oaths for sure, perhaps when he was a child? That long ago time, so distant it seemed more like fantasy than reality. It didn't matter really, he supposed, the past was gone. Swept downstream by time, never to be seen again except in memories. All that is, and all that will be was vastly more important than all that ever was.  
  
A faint noise in the distance brought him out of his thoughts. Looking to the south he could see a Tenno's Landing craft flicker into sight as the void mask was released. As it hovered in place a small figure dropped down from its underbelly. The Tenno called Shrike, his pupil.  
  
As the ship re-masked itself, she seemed to scan the horizon, waving to him when she caught sight of his silhouette against the glare of the sun. He returned her gesture with a curt nod, and she began her ascent up the slope.  
He was surprised when his pupil returned to the Kuva Fortress for his sake after only narrowly escaping the vile Elder Queen's clutches. Some part of him, long buried by Dax discipline and Orokin conditioning wanted to scream, to laugh, to cry. Why would she risk so much for his sake? It was truly baffling, but his pupil was always too bold and brave for her own good.  
  
He had heard what happened to her and her friends when the Zanuka Hunter came for them. Shrike had awoken from stasis mere months prior to the incident with no memories of her past life.. well lives, armed with a poorly maintained bow, some throwing knives and a very basic ceramic blade. Her new friends had been awake for a few years and had taken her under their wings, taught her the Tenno sign language, introduced her to the many factions that called the relays home and to him. One of those friends had made a powerful enemy however, Alad V. They were on a fairly mundane mission when the Hunter struck. None of them were really prepared for an enemy of that caliber. One of her friends ran, hoping to get to his ship so he could put out a distress signal. She should have ran too, it would have been the smart choice, but honor dictated that she not leave her comrades. His pupil stood her ground and was captured and then almost dismantled like her friends were. Teshin could admire her courage, but he knew too well its pitfalls.  
  
The crunch of packed snow alerted him to his pupil's presence. He turned to regard her and caught sight of the accursed _scepter_ in her hand. She approached him tentatively, removing the red vial from the staff's bladed finial, her copper hair dancing in the wind. She opened her mouth as if to ask him a question but no words came out.  
  
"You don't know what to do with it." he guessed aloud.  
  
"Tell me." She said, humbly, almost meekly. Golden eyes looking up at the sensors on his kasa, as if to make eye contact.  
  
"Hmm..." He thought for a moment. "Some believe the kuva within is the blood of the Orokin Ancestors. An elixir of power... of immortality. Others believe it to be a poison, a corrupting oil that brings madness and evil." It was difficult not letting his true opinions bleed into his council.  
  
"What do you believe?" She asked, holding the vile fluid to the light to inspect it further.  
  
"I believe them both. But for you, Tenno, perhaps this kuva is just a symbol. That what you choose to do will define you more than anything." This wasn't his decision to make, no matter how much he wanted to tear it from her hands and throw it down the cliffside.  
  
His pupil stared at the kuva in her hand, chewing on her lip. The decision seemed easy to him, but to her it must have been quite a dilemma. On one hand, this vial was a symbol of all that was wrong with the Orokin empire, the empire that she hated and helped destroy. On the other hand, it was a potential path to more power.  
  
She had felt the sting of being powerless. After the death of her friends she seemed to seek out more power, a better Warframe, stronger weapons, forma, catalysts, reactors. She had stopped running missions with other Tenno, indeed she rarely interacted with her brothers and sister at all despite how alone she must feel. She even abandoned the Conclave! One might think it was because she lost faith in the strength of her fellows, that she perhaps thought she was superior. But he knew his pupil better than that, she was afraid. Afraid she would gain new friends, afraid she would lose them, that it would be her fault. That fear cut deep as any steel ever could. If she were stronger, had more confidence, perhaps she could shake it, free herself. What was moral superiority against freedom after all? If she chose to consume it, then he could not truly hold it against her.  
  
Shrike made a noise like a strangled groan and held the vial out towards him. He suppressed a sigh of relief and quickly hid it away in the folds of his robe. They stood in silence and for a brief moment it almost felt like everything was right in the world. Almost. He thought he heard her say something too low to be understood over the wind. Glancing over he saw how she seemed unsteady on her feet and her troubled expression. Part of him was terrified that she would jump from the cliff. That her memories from the Zariman would prove too much for her. He reached out and grasped her arm firmly and she seemed to snap out of her stupor. He could feel her racing heartbeat though the fabric her thin suit.  
  
"The world weighs more heavily on you now. Try not to lose yourself, Tenno." He hoped his words were comforting to her, that she might gain some resolve from them.  
  
She sat down in the snow next to him and he let out a breath he didn't quite realize he was holding. "Teshin... Could we talk for a while?" She asked hesitantly. "I don't think the Lotus would understand-" 'Or care' He added to himself. "And Ordis would just worry himself sick over my mental health, and I think hes worried enough about me for today."  
  
"Of course pupil, I have plenty of time." He lied as he knelt down next to her. In truth he had been away from the Conclave for a few weeks longer than he would have liked, but if his stubborn pupil was asking for his help, then he would make time.  
  
"How did you unlock my old memories? I can't even remember anything from the Old War... But now I remember everything that happened on the Zariman... And nothing else..." She said quietly, fiddling with the broken staff in her hands.  
  
"When the Queen attempted to take your body, she formed a connection between your minds. But she made the mistake of doing it through the link between you and your Warframe." He glanced over to her and found he had her undivided attention. "Transference is strange, Tenno. Its not just the strings for your puppets, its deeper than that as im sure you know. Trying her continuity through the filter of your Warframe left an opening that could be exploited, if one knows how."  
  
She was silent for a moment, processing what was said. "So its not just something you can just do, right?" She looked up at him, eyes pleading. "you can't help me remember life before the Zariman? All the _horror_ I remember might be easier to take with some happy memories."  
  
"No pupil, I cannot." She looked down at the snow in front of her in defeat. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "What do you remember? Nothing at all?"  
  
"I remember... My Father. He was Dax too!" He nodded at her, bidding her to continue. "I can't remember my mother though. I think we lived on Lua? Might have been a tower in Earth's orbit. I had a little brother, Makkoar, but he... died on the Zariman." She said in a strangled voice. She regained her composure after a moment.

"I had three older brothers too, but.. I can't remember their names or faces." She made a little noise, like a laugh. "You could be one of them for all I know... They _were_ training to become Dax..." She trailed off looking at him closely.

"What is it Tenno?" He knew where her mind was drifting.

"You.. Your not one of my brothers are you?"

"No."

"Are you sure? It would explain why you helped me." She said, narrowing her eyes. "You would tell me if you were right?"

"We look nothing alike, Tenno!"

"From the nose down perhaps... I remember one of my brothers being... well..." She trailed off again.

"What?" He asked, betraying no emotion. He was sure she was messing with him at this point.

"Short..."

"...Short?" he repeated. He gave her what he hoped was a dissapointed look. Sure he wasn't as tall as her Warframes but...

"Do you need me to sugar coat it or something? Im almost as tall as you are!" He sighed, there was no suppressing that one. "Besides, you might have a mop of red hair under that... that Dax hat!"

"Dax hat..."

"Umm...K.. Kasa!" she seemed to suddenly remember. Good, perhaps she could remember more.

"How about this then?" He reached up and undid the magnetic hasps of his helmet and removed it. He always felt vulnerable without it on. The cold wind felt foreign on his partially shorn scalp.

"Hmm..." Shrike scrutinized him carefully, but he saw no recognition in her eyes as she took in his features. Truly they looked nothing alike. His dark coarse hair was nothing like her red wisps, neither was his thick eyebrows nor his narrow brown eyes.  
  
"Are you _suuuuure_?" She said through the beginnings of a wide grin. He reached over and ruffled her wispy hair.  
  
"Oh quit it!" She said, smacking at his outstretched hand, laughing. He allowed a smile to creep onto his normally impassive face. They sat like that, grinning in the snow for some minutes looking up at the now reddening sky.  
  
"I remember training" she said after their smiles had faded some. It got his attention. "Father made us train in the mornings before breakfast and every night before bed. Just me and my brothers... and I think we had a teacher too..." He let her words sink in. "I think... Id like to start training again... If you have time." Did he hear that correctly?  
  
"You wish to train with me? In the flesh?" He was taken aback when she nodded.  
  
"You showed me a weakness I wasn't even _aware_ of, Teshin. If im ever caught without my Warframe again, I would still like to be able to put up a fight! So, yeah! If you will have me, then I would like to train with you!" She said. As bold and ambitious as ever!  
  
"I would be honored, Pupil!" Words could not express how proud he was of her in that moment. Acknowledging a weakness was often hard, but to do so and then immediately take steps to correct said weakness... Well that took an uncommon level of strength and pragmatism. Her father would be proud for sure!  
  
"Great! Ill see about getting some time away from missions. Oh but the Lotus wont like this... I uh.. kinda snapped at her earlier.." Just when he thought he could not be more proud of his pupil... "But Ordis puts himself offline for maintenance every week for about twelve hours, I could get him to drop me off here or at a relay if you like!"  
  
"Here should be fine, Tenno. If we need to change locations, then I will contact you beforehand."  
  
"Is once a week going to be enough?"  
  
"It should be plenty if you practice your nartas and stances every day in between." Shrike nodded. "Ill also try give you assignments as well."  
  
"That sounds like homework.." she said with mock suspicion in her eyes.  
  
"It is." He said, deadpan. She groaned at the prospect of it all. "I will send your Cephalon blueprints, you are to make and master the weapon."  
  
"With my Warframe or with.. myself?"  
  
"Perhaps one, perhaps both, it will depend on the weapon."  
  
"Do I have to call you 'Master' now?" She asked, with a dramatic eyeroll.  
  
"Only if you want to, pupil." Though he would truly be honored...  
  
She pulled herself to her feet and brushed the snow off her rump. "I should probably get back to the orbiter, Ordis is probably worried sick and all."

He heard her footsteps crunch as she walked away, but then they stopped. "Hey Teshin!"  
  
"Yes?" he asked rising gracefully to a standing position.  
  
"I don't _have_ to call you master..." She said with a grin. "I _get_ to!"  
  
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It was the first lesson for his new class of about fifty or so young boys, all between nine and ten years of age. Him and three other Dax were tasked with turning this pack of rambunctious children into well disciplined warriors. It would be a long and difficult process but compared to the soul crushing job of guarding a Yuvan theater, it was heaven! In his years of service as a Dax warrior, this was perhaps the most rewarding post he had been given yet. Training a new generation of Dax, passing along his knowledge, being able to ensure the continuation of their traditions. He was honored to have such an important task entrusted to him and his brothers.  
  
But today, there was a _slight_ problem.  
  
A young girl had gone missing when she and her father dropped off one of his students. It didn't take him too long to figure out her location. Her father said she had red hair, an uncommon color amongst the Dax caste, and he could see two red headed children standing side by side as they followed along with the lesson. Her brother must have helped sneak her in and found an extra set of robes for her to wear, clever. They looked enough alike that one could mistake them for twins. As much as he didn't mind having a girl in his class, rules were unfortunately rules. Her father was notified and was on his way down to collect his wayward daughter.  
  
He observed her as she gave her undivided attention to Master Jomkai. Her stance was well executed and the 'blade' alignment of her kin-bo was near perfect. Better than a good half of his pupils. It was a shame the Orokin forbade the Conclave from taking in young ladies as students, she would make a fine Dax someday. But the Orokin were strange in their ways, they had rigid specifications for their warriors, oddly outdated even. But that was the way of the world, the Golden Lords commanded and the Dax obeyed.  
  
He could hear two sets of footsteps approaching him in the hallway of the dojo. Her father Lanii, and Master Ranmal.  
  
"Is she in there?" He asked, tersely. Teshin nodded wordlessly towards the entrance into the training hall, Lanii scanned the room and let out a great sigh. "My apologies Masters, should I retrieve her?" From his tone he could tell that this level of exasperation was not entirely uncommon with them.  
  
"Hmm... Ill do it, its best we not cause a scene, it would only embarrass her further." Teshin reasoned. Lanii and Ranmal nodded in agreement.  
  
He walked quietly through the rows of his charges and came up behind the girl and her brother. A Master approaching a student was not uncommon, sometimes minor adjustments had to be made to a stance, or perhaps they neglected leaving the proper spacing between them and the students on their sides. With a bit of tact this interaction would most likely go unnoticed by both the children and Master Jomkai, who tended to be rather stern. He tapped her on the shoulder twice and she looked up at him with her yellow eyes.  
  
He leaned in an whispered in her ear "Look at the door, back and on your right." She obeyed and he noticed her turn a shade more pale as she noticed her father's disapproving stare. "If you go quietly, nobody else will notice, and perhaps he wont be as angry, hmm?" She nodded and turned to leave. Teshin placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. At least she wasn't crying.  
  
He led her to her father. Lanii crossed his arms in disappointment at her but she never saw it, her eyes were firmly glued on the floor.  
  
"Wren, where are your clothes?" Lanii asked her evenly.  
  
"In the locker room." She replied in almost a whisper.  
  
"I suspect Lark helped you with this?" She opened her mouth to reply, but then quickly shut it. She did not want to betray her brother he guessed. "Wren..." His voice held a note of warning to it.  
  
"Yes.." She said after a moment with a sniffle.  
  
Lanii sighed. "Well lets go get it then. And afterwards, you are going to apologize to Ranmal and Teshin. Understood?" Wren nodded and began to shuffle off towards the change rooms.  
  
"She is just like her mother isn't she!" Ranmal said with a chuckle. "Bet she is just a handful!"  
  
"Hawke, Jay, and Lark are handfuls, she is an armload! But yes, she is her mother's daughter without a doubt." He covered his face with his palm. "Stars preserve me!"  
  
"Will she be punished?" Teshin asked cautiously. He hoped Lanii was as loving a father as he seemed. He would hate for the girl to be punished harshly for this relatively minor transgression. Especially when he could have extracted her from the class before sending Ranmal off to find him. He could have lied and said she was just watching the boys train.  
  
"Both her and Lark. A few whallops on the rear and some extra chores should do the trick. I fear having her dreams dashed like this is going to sting more than any punishment I could cook up." He was silent for a moment. "Was it cruel of me? To let her train with her brothers? To give her a taste of a life she could never have?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Its not your fault Lan, you can only do your best you know!" Said Ranmal, clapping him on the shoulder.  
  
Teshin caught sight of the girl rounding the corner, eyes downcast, robes neatly folded in her arms with the kin-bo resting on top. She looked less like a chastised child and more like a Dax being marched off to a dishonorable conduct hearing. He could be forgiven for thinking her punishment was death with how grim she looked.  
  
She walked up to him and held out the well worn gear to him reverently, like it was some sacred armaments gifted to her by the Golden Lords themselves.  
  
"What do you say Wren?"  
  
"Im sorry mas-"  
  
"No." Lanii cut her off. "They are not your teachers, Wren. You do not get to call them 'Master'." She nodded and set her jaw, fighting against the tears of shame she wanted to shed.  
  
"I.. Im sorry.." She looked so miserable. Teshin wanted to reach out and ruffle her hair like he would do to his students on occasion, tell her it was no big deal. But he did not want to undermine her father's authority.  
  
"Papa?" She started. "Hawke is going to be a Dax right?"  
  
"More than likely." he replied. Teshin knew that Hawke was quite skilled for his age. He would make waves at the Conclave on Lua.  
  
"And Jay, and Lark?"  
  
"Quite possibly.." Jay was a slacker however, and would likely end up in the Low Guardian's order.  
  
"But I can't?" She asked, finally tearing her gaze from the floor.  
  
"No Songbird, im afraid not." Lanii said, placing a consoling hand on his daughter's head. "I told you, women can't be Dax. By the will of the Orokin!"  
  
"What will I be then?"  
  
"Well... You could become an artist." She shook her head at that. "A singer, you _do_ have a lovely voice Songbird!" She made a dismissive noise. "If you study hard, you could be an Archimedian."  
  
"Im not smart enough to be an Archimedian papa!"  
  
"Well that's why you have to study hard!" She sighed. "You could marry, have children of your own."  
  
"Im a _warrior_ , not a wife!" She said crossing her arms.  
  
She said it with such conviction that Teshin could believe her words.  
  
  
  
The following weeks went by without too much out of the ordinary. Ranmal told and re-told the story about this would-be Dax girl to the other masters. Some clucked their tongues at her antics, but others thought it was endearing, or 'cute'. Even stern Master Jomkai cracked a smile. Everything was back to as it should be, but Teshin had formed a bad habit over his relatively short tenure as a Master of the Conclave. He got far too attached to his students far too easily. Evidentially his definition of 'Student' also included a certain young lady. He began making inquires about the girl's well being.  
  
Ranmal joked that he aught to start a family of his own so he could put his fatherly instincts to good use, but offered little information he didn't already know. Jomkai told him to focus on his actual students. Anzran unfortunately did not know anything or anybody as he was new to this Tower. He was able to learn a bit more about the family from the other Masters however, notably the few who had taught Hawke and Jay.  
  
Teshin learned that Lark and Wren were born within the same year. It wasn't too uncommon for Dax to have children so close in age, a consequence of being encouraged to have large families. He also learned that Lanii was a widower, his wife died shortly after giving birth to their daughter. Complications from the surgery needed to extract Wren from the womb caused a blood clot to form. A painless death thankfully, but perhaps if more modern medical techniques were used it might not have happened. But by Orokin decree, the Dax caste were to have as minimal medical tampering as possible. They wanted their warriors to be "natural", untainted... So they could fit them with the most advanced skin-armor, nanobots, and cybernetics when they were fully trained? He was unsure of the reasoning behind the decisions his _'betters'_ made, so many were quite counterproductive.  
  
Then there was Lark, such a peculiar child himself. He had an uncommon focus, his undivided attention was truly undivided! A phenomenal student! But such focus came at a cost. The boy's social skills were... lacking. He rarely talked and when he did, he seemed to miss social ques, too liberal with physical contact, and was often a bit too candid with the personal information he gave out. Some mental disorder that Teshin did not remember the name of was likely responsible for this quirk. Thankfully, poor social skills didn't matter much on a battlefield, and his attentiveness could one day save him and the people he would be sworn to protect!  
  
Perhaps it was this boy's odd qualities that caused him to seek Teshin out for aid at the end of today's class as he was putting away the equipment.  
  
"Master Teshin!" He had said. "I need your help!"  
  
"What do you need assistance with, Pupil?"  
  
"Its my sis, Im worried about her!" A thousand horrible possibilities flashed through Teshin's mind. Did her father punish her too harshly? Was she hurt? Sick? _Stars_ , if this quiet boy was seeking him out then it must be awful! Teshin waited for Lark to elaborate on his concerns, but seconds ticked by while the child looked up at him as if waiting for permission to continue.  
  
"What's wrong?" he said, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.  
  
"Shes been acting strange. She doesn't take her training seriously anymore, and she hardly practices her nartas, and she wont play 'Mercs and Pirates' with me anymore, and she cries herself to sleep most of the time." He said all in one breath. Teshin let out a slight sigh of relief, the girl was merely depressed, not in any immediate peril.  
  
"Your sister is sad, you know that right?"  
  
"Yeah." Lark mumbled, looking at the floor.  
  
"And you know why?"  
  
"Dad says she cant be Dax. But that's no reason for her to slack!" He said with a whine. "She was better with her kin-bo than I was, but now her form is just sloppy!"  
  
"You have more training than she does now, of course you are going to surpass her. Im afraid the gap is only going to grow wider, Pupil." Lark frowned at his words.  
  
"But its not fair! She worked harder than I did. If she had training she would still be better than me!"  
  
"You do not wish to leave your sister behind is that it?" He asked. Lark nodded. "But how can I help with that?"  
  
"Could you train her too Master?" He asked, looking up at him with hope in his eyes.  
  
"Girls cannot join the Conclave, Pupil." He had thought that point was made painfully clear.  
  
"Don't teach her at the Conclave then, teach her at _home_!"  
  
"Thats..." He began, but then stopped. It wasn't that strange for a Master to tutor a student in their free time. And it was not like he had any better use for his evenings, really. His pastimes included meditating, training and the occasional game of Lunario, and Lunario was only once a week. The idea of taking on another student was beginning to appeal more to him.  
  
"Master, could you at least talk to her? You always make us feel better when we get discouraged!"  
  
"Hmm.. Ill talk to her, see what she wants." Lark practically bounced in place at his words. Tugging on his hand, the boy made for the exit.  
  
  
  
And that's how Teshin found himself being led by the hand along the residential deck halls by this odd child. He had only been down on this part of the deck on occasion, the housing here was reserved for the families of the Dax caste and Low Guardians. The halls were quiet this time of day, many of the children were still at their lessons, and the adults were likely at their posts. A few children, seemingly too young for schooling, were playing a game of komi near a fountain and a woman was holding her toddler up to the viewing pane so they could see Earth and Lua in the distance. They paid him and his pupil no mind.  
  
They turned down a branching hall, and then down another, and finally to the door to their unit. Lark held his hand up to the sensor on the door and it hissed open granting them entrance. Upon crossing the threshold Teshin immediately removed his kasa and placed it on the stand near the door. It was rude to hide your face in another's home after all.  
  
They passed through the cooking and dining area and Teshin noticed textbooks and pages of math sums on the table. Perhaps she had settled on becoming an Archimedian? Though by the looks of the doodles along the margins, she was probably having a hard time concentrating on her work. Math wasn't for everyone.  
  
Lark led him through the unit towards the 'outside' area, really just a well lit indoor garden with a high ceiling. His own unit had one, a plush grass floor with some select plants of his choosing, big enough to train in. He suspected this residence was similar and his suspicions were proven true as they turned a corner into the garden. Wren stood in the center of the yard facing away from them.  
  
By the motions of her plastid sword-proxy she seemed to be writing the Orokin alphabet in the air. It was a common enough narta for someone her age, not an unexpected sight. What was unexpected was how sloppy her form was. Gone was the focus she displayed in his classroom. Wren lowered her kin-bo and sighed when she butchered another letter.  
  
"Hey sis! Im home!" Lark said as he wrapped his little sister in a great hug from behind. She seemed unbothered by the sudden invasion of her personal space.  
  
"Hey Lark! How was classes?"  
  
"Great! I asked Master Teshin if he would teach you!" The boy said excitedly.  
  
" _Lark!_ " She whined, exasperated. "I told you, I can't be a Dax warrior! Ill be an artist, or a singer, or an Archimedian, or.. or.."  
  
"Or a member of the Low Guardians..." Teshin chimed in. The girl spun around surprised. "Or an assassin, a personal guard, a gladiator, or even a mercenary!"  
  
She seemed stunned for a moment before quietly asking " _Really_?" Her golden eyes looked up at him with hope.  
  
"Yes really!" Everything he had listed was well within her reach. Teshin strode forwards and sat down on the plush grass, patting the ground next to him where he wanted her to sit. She trotted over and plopped down with Lark at her side, so close that he was almost leaning on her.  
  
"I could really be an assassin? Or a mercenary?"  
  
"Or a Low Guardian." It was the more likely outcome, but he did find it funny she would hold assassins and blades for hire above the noble protectors of the common class. Sure there were some honorable mercenary clans out there, but the vast majority were barely better than pirates! "There is nothing dishonorable about serving in the Low Guard you know."  
  
"Isnt that where the failed Dax go?" Lark asked, blunt as always.  
  
"Many do, but its also where people not in the Dax caste and other people unfit to protect the Orokin can serve the empire with honor! They protect the common folk, guard transports from pirates, enforce the law, nothing shameful. We Dax have to protect the golden lords, but we cannot be everywhere to enforce their laws, that is where the Low Guardians shine! And in times of war they serve alongside the Dax. One day, you may even serve alongside your brothers!"  
  
"Oh.." She said thinking. "But I can still be a merc though right?" Teshin sighed. He had the distinct feeling that if he trained this child, he may one day have to fight her. Mercenary clans rarely stayed in the good graces of the Orokin for long. He hoped his feeling was wrong.  
  
"It depends, are you going to give up? Or will you keep pressing forward?"

"I can't just give up! or else ill end up being an Archimedian.."  
  
"Would you like me to teach you?"  
  
"I.. I Would like that, Teshin!" Lark elbowed her and leaned over whispering loudly in her ear.  
  
"If he is teaching you, then you have to call him ' _Master_ '!" She huffed and crossed her arms.  
  
"I don't _have_ to call him Master!" She said with a grin. "I _get_ to!"  
  
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Teshin watched his pupil make her way back down the slope, still stunned by her almost recollection.  
  
He had thought Wren long dead. Somehow, through all the horror, sadness, strife, experimentation, war, rebellion, and the long sleep, his pupil was still there.

And all the Dax discipline and Orokin conditioning could not keep the smile from his face.  



	2. Whirlwind: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teshin's student is bothered by something encountered in the void. But what happens in the void, does not always stay in the void!

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  The last gas brazier was in place and working, the targets set up, the bed rolls were out and ready, and the snow was swept out of the entrance and training areas.  Teshin had even brought along some light rations even though he was pretty sure the Tenno didn't require proper food sustenance.  The Yuvan theater, now a Dojo, was ready for his pupil's extended stay.  
   
  It was all short notice of course. He was contacted a few days ago by Shrike, more specifically it was Shrike's Cephalon who contacted him.  
   
   
  
  "I am really worried about my Operator!"  Ordis had said.  "She hasn't been sleeping well, and she has been acting - _creepy_ \- uh.. strange.  Her Delta-waves have been all over the place, even when she is awake! Its like she is reacting to... _something_ on the orbiter, sometimes talking to her self, or shouting at my cables!  Ordis wonders if it is the lack of sleep or stress, but he thinks it would be best for her to spend some time off the ship, for her own safety!"  
  
  He heard through the rumor mill that she had been at the center of some disturbing occurrences involving the Red Veil.  
   
  Disturbing enough that she, who had survived the Zariman and fought terrors from beyond the outer terminus, was thoroughly shaken.  
   
  Disturbing enough that the Lotus _willingly_ put her off duty for unspecified amount of time to deal with whatever she had experienced.  
  
  Disturbing enough that it was affecting her in a way that made her normally clingy Cephalon willing to part with her.  
   
  So of course he agreed.  
   
  "Oh, but one more thing.  If you could make it sound like this was your idea, then that would be great too.  You know how - _stubborn_ -.. prideful my Operator is, she has a hard time accepting help from others, even from _Ordis_!  If she thinks you are going out of your way for her, then she might decline your help."  
   
  It would be easy enough. Cephalon Sark could be put in charge of running the Conclave's events for the next week, some of his students might even appreciate his absence.  He had a few appointments to reschedule, but nothing too important. Simaris had wanted him to help out with a few simulations, and Suda wanted to pick his brain about something, but both could be done whenever. He had wanted to make a trip to Lua, the ancient Orokin archives may still hold useful information for the Tenno, but perhaps he could bring his pupil along to break up the monotony of training. It could be done.  
   
  He made his preparations that night, and in the morning and opened up comms with Shrike. The face that looked back at him on his holo-screen hardly resembled his  exuberant young pupil. Her hair was unkempt, the glow of her cognitive relay flickered strangely, her posture was hunched over like she was trying to hide herself, and her dimmed but wary eyes had dark rings beneath them. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, not a very good sign. The Tenno did not require much for survival, food and water were optional, heat and cold were more nuisance than danger, but sleep was one thing they could not go without!  He learned that fairly early into training them.  
   
  "Who.. Oh! Master Teshin!" She seemed startled, though she did seem to relax upon recognizing him. Teshin hoped he did not wake her, she looked like she could use every second of rest she could get.  
   
  "Good morning pupil!" He greeted her.  
   
  "Morning already? Hey Ordis, what time is it?"  
   
  "0900, Operator." Ordis replied, tone neutral, unwilling to give away any trace of his involvement in this.  
   
  "Stars, Sorry Teshin, im usually up and about by now. Did you need something?" Her voice had a hint of hope to it. She seemed eager for any sort of distraction, anything to take her mind off whatever was eating at her.  
   
  "No, I don't need anything at the moment..." She seemed to deflate at his words. "But I heard you were taken off of active duty for a while and was wondering if you wished to get some extra practice in. A few days perhaps?"  
   
  "Y-yeah I think I would love some extra training actually." She seemed so very relieved. It was distressingly easy to read her face. Normally she was quite impassive, preferring to hide her inner turmoil lest she worry those around her. One last shred of her Dax upbringing that was never erased. "Did you want me to bring any specific equipment?"  
   
  "Hmm.. Bring your Hikou, and your Spiria, You need to work on your aim with thrown weapons. And do you still have that Bolto?"  
   
  "Yeah, actually I made a second one! Did you want me to bring them along as well?"  
   
  Teshin nodded. "You have regained some physical strength pupil, I think its time for you to get used to handling ballistic weapons in the flesh. We will start with small arms for now." He was quite pleased to see the atrophy she had suffered while dreaming was finally fading, though not as quick as he would like. Her stamina was still poor. Relying on the void for sustenance had its drawbacks it would seem.  
   
  "Umm... Master did you want me to bring my Nikana?" Her face had an odd look to it, not unreadable, but unfamiliar. She seemed unsure of something.    
   
  "Of course." It was an odd question, the bulk of their training was done with the Nikana. "Have you mastered the 'Blind Justice' stance yet?"  
   
  "No..." She said hanging her head in defeat...or was she just nodding off. It was hard to tell in her current state.  
   
  "Are you having trouble with the stance?"  
  
  "Umm... yeah a little. The reverse grip is tricky, but its the leaps im having the most trouble with. I... I don't think im strong enough. I can do it just fine in _Valkyr_ though..." She would not look him in the eye as she explained. Like a wounded animal, his pupil tried to hide every hint of weakness she could.  
   
  He could teach his student nartas and stances, warrior philosophy, tatics, humility and compassion, void he could even teach her math! But he was still unable to teach his student that there was no shame in just simply being unable to do something, especially if that something was a stance designed with fully augmented Dax and warframes in mind.. It must be discouraging, he thought, to go from being so capable in a warframe to being so weak and stunted in the flesh. But Teshin always had a backup lesson.  
   
  "We can set aside the 'Blind Justice' stance for the time being, Tenno. When you are stronger, we will revisit that path and climb it." A look of relief spread across her face as she nodded. "Perhaps a two handed stance might suit you better?"  
   
  "Oh... If you think its best..." Her gaze lingered on something off to her side. She stared at _whatever_ she was looking at for a long while, trembling.  
   
  "Tenno..." She didn't respond, just slowly shook her head. "Shrike!" He called again, using her 'name'.  
   
  "What.. So Ill meet you at the normal spot?" She said, finally tearing her eyes from whatever previously held her focus.  Her voice was shaky even though she tried in vain to appear calm.  
   
  "Are you ok?" He asked bluntly. Her behavior was alarming, to say the least. It was clear why her Cephalon was so concerned.  
   
  "Ye... No." She buried her face in her palms and made a noise of frustration for a moment before regaining her composure. "I don't think so, but getting off the orbiter might be exactly what I need."  
   
  "You know you can always talk to me pupil. My comms are always open."  
   
  "Thank you Teshin." She almost whispered.  
   
  "I will wait for you at the usual spot. When should I expect you?"  
   
  "Uh, im not sure. Um Ordis.."  
   
  "We are passing through the outer reaches of the Kuiper Belt at the moment. We should reach the Sedna junction in about two hours. From there its about twenty more hours of travel time, assuming we can make it through all the junctions unchallenged - _which we w-wont beee_ -  Soooo, expect us in about a day and a half!" Ordis responded cheerfully.  
   
  "I will see you soon then, Pupil. Try to get some rest." She nodded and cut off the datastream.  
   
   Out in the Kuiper, past Sedna... Teshin turned this new information over in his head. They were returning from the Void then if they were out that far. The Void could have anomalous effects on most forms of life, usually resulting in madness and deformity. Was she suffering from Void Exposure? He was certain the Tenno were immune to the Void's negative effects, having been 'reborn' there. But between her initial exposure and now, his pupil had finished growing. She was an adult now, even if he had a hard time remembering that fact. The yawning abyss had driven all the adults aboard the Ten-Zero insane, Would his student suffer the same fate?  
   
  He was brought out of his contemplation by Ordis pinging his communication channel.  
   
  "Ordis can actually get us there a bit sooner, less than a day really. Do you think its best she get dropped off before or after her sleep cycle?"  
   
  "Hmm.. When was the last time she slept?"  
   
  "Well she got about two and a half hours in last cycle uninterrupted, but only about twelve minutes of that was REM sleep. The last time she got a proper rest was the cycle before she went into - _that culllllt'sss_ \- uh the Red Veil's 'temple' about two days ago. Since then though upon entering REM sleep, her Delta-waves spike and she wakes up. Then she does worrying things like talking to corners and consoles."  
   
   "Get her to the usual spot as quick as possible, but if she is asleep when you arrive then do not wake her."  He was still unsure whether or not it was sleep deprivation or Void Exposure causing her odd behavior. Perhaps he could rule some things out with more information. "How are the levels of ambient void energy on and in the ship?"  
   
  "Elevated by a fair amount, but it generally does that after the Operator has used her void-stuff excessively. In fact it did this when she - _was almoooost eeeeaten_ \- erm, kidnapped by the Grineer Queens!" Teshin had a notion to correct Ordis's version of events, but decided better. If he realized exactly how close he came to losing his Operator, Ordis would likely not let her out of his sight again.  
   
  "So it fits a pattern then?"  
   
  "Uh, well... its a bit high compared to the last few spikes. 280% increase as opposed to the usual 70-120% increase. The Operator must have exerted herself quite a bit."  
   
  "How long does it take for it to fade?"  
   
  "Excess energy normally fades after about three full week cycles, with some lingering around for longer. Perhaps this large spike is a sign that the Operator is getting stronger?" 'Stronger, but at what cost?' Teshin thought to himself.  
   
  "Do you know exactly what happened in the Red Veil's Temple Ordis? What was she doing there in the first place?"  
   
  "Ordis does not know the specifics, there was quite a bit of odd interference and my sensors could not pick up what happened. Ordis is unsure if he is even _allowed_ to divulge any specific details about that mission. The Operator might tell you more."  
   
  "Why didn't she bring a warframe?" His pupil had made some major progress, but certainly not enough to be traipsing around an Orokin derelict.  
   
  "Well she did bring Valkyr, but - _T-that b-looody zealot_ \- told her she could not enter their 'sacred temple' in it. But the Operator was very brave and just grabbed her Nikana and transferred out, no hesitation at all!" The Cephalon seemed pleased at his Operator's show of courage. "Ordis lost track of her on the sensors, but he did pick up the sounds of battle over her comms. When she came back she was just... - _covered_ \- in blood."  
   
  "Was she hurt?" She certainly wasn't progressed enough to be joining any battles in the flesh either.  
   
  "- _Not a scratch!_ -" He said, his pride quite evident. "All the blood on her suit was of normal human composition, likely belonging to the Red Veil - _fanatics_ \- .. uh - _idiots_ -, no I meant..."  
   
  "Its ok Ordis." Teshin said, trying to calm the Cephalon. He was beginning to get worked up and his glitches were rearing their ugly heads. "So long as she is uninjured."  
   
  "You are correct Teshin. That is the main concern." He said, calming some. "Ordis must get back to his duties, but he will keep you updated on her condition!" He cut off communications and Teshin was left to his thoughts and preparations.  
   
   
   
  He sat on the snowy cliff meditating in the thin cold air, basking in the fading sunlight, awaiting his pupil's arrival. His student's ship was in Earth's orbit, but true to his directions, Ordis hadn't woken her up on arrival. The last status report did not bode well. She was still acting strangely, had not gotten any substantial rest, and the levels of void energy had kept creeping up. He hoped some company, physical activity, and fresh un-recirculated air would fix her problems as it often did for him.  
   
  "The Operator has awoken! We will be there shortly!" Ordis informed him. "You will keep her safe - _wont you?_ -"  
   
  "I swear it on my honor!" He said without delay.  
   
  "- _Good!_ -" Ordis said, his tone tense and serious. Teshin was grateful that his Pupil's Cephalon trusted him with his Operator's safety. It wasn't always so however.  
   
  When he first started training Shrike in the flesh, Ordis expressed quite a bit of concern that he was looking for a less than appropriate relationship with his student. Said concern was voiced in a private message, sent late during Teshin's sleep cycle, contained at least four expletives he hadn't heard before, and made rather unsavory accusations about his ancestors night time habits. Teshin ignored that message and the three others like it that followed, He knew quite a bit about dealing with glitched Cephalon and he knew there was nothing to be gained by arguing with him, it would only feed his paranoia. Despite his bugs, and the near critical failures of his tact and protocol precepts, Ordis did a splendid job of putting his operator first. For that reason, he was willing to overlook the likely unintentional insults.  
   
  He did find it strange that Ordis would arrive at such a conclusion at all really. He was the one who reached out to Teshin when the Lotus went silent years before. When he had told his pupil she just sighed and said "Sorry Master, Ordis just gets jealous sometimes. If he does it again I will make him apologize... To Darvo!" She elaborated on that after he gave her a questioning look "He probably wont mind apologizing to you, but he hates Darvo! A lot!" Evidently the Corpus smuggler kept sending her advertisements and coupons for newer Cephalon, and understandably it upset Ordis.  
   
  But the messages did stop, and Ordis began to treat him with respect and later, with trust. He often let his speech patterns slip out of third person, and sometimes did not correct himself when his glitches made him speak his mind. It did Teshin good to see that even something as static and rigid as a Cephalon could change and grow for the better. Their true enemies can adapt to nearly anything, and so must they if they wished to survive.  
   
  The familiar sound of the Liset's engines drew his attention to the south, but he did not rise. Today's lesson would start with a nice long session of meditation to help her leave yesterday's worries behind, and if she happened to fall asleep and get some proper rest during, well that was fine too.  
   
  He watched the Tenno gracefully drop from her ship... in her warframe. That was unexpected. Typically she did not bring her frame unless he asked her to, or if she asked him first. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, maybe she was too exhausted to make the climb, or perhaps she simply wished to practice in a frame. He had little time to ponder the implications, the smoke-grey form of her Valkyr swiftly made short work of the snowy cliffside and would be upon him in mere heartbeats.  
   
  "Hey Master!" Shrike said as she approached him, raising a claw tipped hand to greet him. At least she sounded happier.  
   
  "Welcome pupil, come!" He said patting the snow next to him. Warframe or no, he would not deviate from the plan.  
   
  Shrike 'stepped' out of her warframe and walked the rest of the distance to him. "So whats the lesson for today?" She said as she half sat and half collapsed next to him.  
   
  "Meditation for now, You have gone through some turmoil recently, correct?" She nodded. "Then lets cast that weight off. Yesterday's troubles will not weigh you down today!"  
   
  "It was actually a few days ago..." She muttered. He gave her a look. "Like three.... _ish_..." Even near exhaustion she would still pester him, but he could pester back! He reached over and ruffled her red hair as he often had, fingers finding far more tangles than he normally did. "Ow, oh come on!" She whined as she halfheartedly pushed his hand away.  
   
  "Meditation pupil!" He reminded her.  
   
  "Yeah, ok." Shrike grumbled as she sat up in the 'proper' posture for meditation.  
   
  Teshin did not resume his meditation however, instead he quietly observed his student. Eyes closed and breathing evenly, to an untrained eye she would seem to be at peace. But his eyes were not untrained. He saw her posture waver as she fought to stay upright, her jaw was tense, and her even breaths were often interrupted by the slightest of sighs. She was struggling.  
   
  But he had a trick, one that had worked many years before. He removed his kasa and placed it in the snow next to him. Then he laid back, the fresh snow crunched loudly beneath him. The noise had caught his pupil's attention.  
   
  "Thought you said we were meditating." She said, sounding mildly irritated and suspicious.  
   
  "We are." She raised an eyebrow at him. "There is no 'proper' way to meditate pupil. So long as you are comfortable enough to relax and find your center."  
   
  "Oh..."  
   
  "Would you like to try it?" She smiled and leaned back with him.  
   
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
   
  He sat on the low couch in Lanii's den, legs crossed and deep in meditation. It was late during the night cycle but he did not sleep, he had a hunch he would just be woken up if he did.  
   
  He had a special 'mission' for two weeks, but just a week in and he felt like he already failed somehow. He was pretty sure he could handle watching _four_ children, after all he was responsible for about fifty during classes, how hard could four _possibly_ be? So when Lanii asked him to look after his offspring he readily said yes. Lark and Wren hung on his every word, and Jay had taken to calling him 'Uncle Tesh'. Hawke was a bit more distant, he was nearing sixteen and likely craved independence, but he still had enough respect to not question Teshin's authority. _Should_ have been no problem.  
   
  Within the first two days, one of them had already been injured. Lark and Wren were sparring with their kin-bo in the yard when Lark decided he would rather dodge a swing that should have been blocked. He caught Wren's 'blade' in the face, resulting in a split lip and a chipped baby tooth. Wren cried more than Lark did, but to be fair, head wounds bleed much more than the one would expect.  
   
  Four days in and Jay decided he wanted to help cook dinner. Halfway through he decided he did _not_ want to cook dinner and left the pot on the heating element unattended. Thankfully the fire suppression system worked flawlessly, though the cleanup took quite some time. The wall was still scorched...  
   
  And now, today the two eldest saw fit to play some horror video on the vigilaplex. Teshin would admit that this was partly his fault. When he saw the title screen, 'Dark of the Void III', he decided that while it was not rated for their age group, they would _probably_ be fine. He had seen the two previous installations of the 'Dark of the Void' series and found them to be pretty mild, little to no gore, and relying more on cheap jump scare tactics than actual suspense. Complete and utter trite, the sort of things that would scare civilians and small children. But he was mistaken.  
   
  Had he been paying attention to the opening credits he would have seen that there was a new director for this installation. This new director was one renowned for more existential, body horror, and suspense focused works like 'Hollowed Hearts' and 'Shadows in the Black'. Works that could even send a chill down his battle hardened spine.  
   
  Suffice to say that all four children were affected by the film. The older two seemed to take it well as they were unwilling to show fear, but Teshin saw how pale they looked afterwards. Lark and Wren sat on either side of him on the couch. Lark openly hid his face during the more suspenseful scenes, while Wren tried to play it off like she was unafraid, but Teshin caught how she tightened her grip on his hand and closed her eyes during the worst of it.  
   
  So after sending them off to bed, he sat in the den and waited. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Lark or Wren sought him out, so he left the lighting in the hallway on. He could hear the soft rhythmic noise of Hawke's footfalls as he did his evening nartas from the next room over, and he could just faintly make out the sound of a datapad being tapped from the one across the hall, likely Jay looking up if someone could be turned inside-out like in the movie.  
   
  A few hours later his concentration was broken by the sound of sniffling from down the hall, accompanied by the soft sound of small bare feet on a tile floor. She stopped just shy of his line of sight and Teshin could hear the sound of her wiping her nose on her sleeping robes.  
   
  "What is it Wren?"  
   
  "When is Papa coming home?" She said between sniffles.  
   
  "About a week, why?"  
   
  "He traveling through the Solar Rails right?..." Ah, the movie they had watched was about a ship lost making the fold between rails and had a 'based on a true story' disclaimer at the beginning. No wonder she was worked up.  
   
  "Pupil, do you know how many ships have been lost to the void in my lifetime?" She shook her head, obviously not knowing the answer. "Just six."  
  
  "Oh... But.."  
  
  "Consider that every day there are roughly one hundred _thousand_ jumps made all across the system without incident. The last time a ship was lost was well over a hundred and fifty years ago, and foul play was heavily suspected. You have a greater chance of being eaten by a _shark_ than you do of being lost in the void."  
  
  She seemed to consider his words for a moment before piping up. "How old are you Master?"  
   
  He actually had to stop and think. "Hmm, when I was your age the Orokin still preferred living on Earth's surface."  
   
  "What? No way, your like Papa's age." He shook his head. "Stars! Your like, old enough to be my ancestor!" Well he wasn't _that_ old... He let out a sigh and patted the cushion next to him.  
   
  "So what are you doing up anyways?" She asked as she made herself comfortable. Her voice was still shaky, but she seemed to have calmed down.  
   
  "Meditating."  
   
  "Did I interrupt you, Master?" She asked quietly.  
   
  "No. In truth I guessed you or Lark would likely be unable to sleep after watching that."  
   
  "Ah.. Ok.." She said, looking a little ashamed. He reached over and patted her on the shoulder.  
   
  "Would you like to join me, to clear your mind before you go back to sleep?" He asked her and got a nod in return.  
   
  Teshin made a hand gesture at the vigilaplex and selected a program that was simulated nature sounds. Soon the soothing music of a babbling steam and songbirds filled the room. He assumed the 'lotus' position and his pupil mimicked him. But alas, her mind was not willing to cooperate just yet.  
   
  "Hey Master.."  
   
  "Yes Wren"  
   
  "How would I get eaten by a shark? Don't they live on Earth?"    
   
  "Yes, deep in Earth's oceans. But even right now, _right here,_ you still have a higher chance of getting eaten by one than you do of getting caught in a void-jump gone wrong."  
   
  She seemed satisfied with his reasoning, and resumed her attempt at meditation. He listened to Wren slow her breathing and chanced a look at her, and upon seeing he closed eyes, openly watched her. Without the adrenaline brought on by her nightmare keeping her alert, her tiredness was making itself known. She needed rest, but without the bright lighting of the den and Teshin's presence, she would likely work herself back into an anxious mess. If he could coax her into dozing off, perhaps he could simply carry her back to bed.  
   
  So he unfolded his legs and leaned backwards, letting the couch squeak at his shifting weight.  
   
  "Are you done already?"  
   
  "No, I just wished to get into a more comfortable position." She tilted her head at him in her sleepy confusion. "You know, you do not have to sit so rigid to meditate, pupil." She took the hint and leaned back as well.  
   
  "See! Much better right?" He asked after a few minutes, but only got a sleepy 'Mmmhmm' back.  
   
  Teshin was a firm believer that surprise was a weapon best countered with preparation, but he was not prepared for this simple plan to backfire on him. When his pupil finally fell asleep, she ended up leaning against his side. He could not extract himself without waking her. Teshin let out a sigh, he wished he had prepared for this outcome better, an actual pillow and blankets would have been a start. He decided to meditate on his failure, as there was near to nothing else he could do..  
   
  Before morning, all four of his charges were sleeping in the den. He vowed that never again would he let them choose the evening entertainment so long as they were in his care.  
   
  A week later, Lanii returned with a new wife. A year later, Wren was no longer the youngest member of her family.  
   
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
   
  "How are her vitals looking?" He quietly asked Ordis over their comms after confirming his student had drifted off. She looked untroubled, and at at rest. The lights of her cognitive relay pulsed slowly in time with her heartbeat.  
   
  "Everything looks normal, Teshin. She entered REM sleep about 20 minutes ago. Her core temperature seems a little low, but well within tolerances." Ordis dutifully reported. Likely he hadn't even taken the Liset back into orbit yet, but with the void masking holding the ship between the fold, there wasn't so much as a faint hum or a gust of wind out of place to give away his presence.  
   
  "Delta waves and Void energy too?"  
   
  "Her deltas haven't spiked - _yet_ \- and the nearby void levels seem unchanged, though it may be dropping. Regrettably, outside the ship my sensors have a 36.52 VPpM margin of error."  
   
  "Hmm. Would you say its safe to move her?"  
   
  "Oh yes! The Operator - _sleeps like a log-_ uh, is quite difficult to wake sometimes. You should be good to go!" Teshin gave a Ordis a little nod, sure that he could 'see' him and began slowly and carefully sliding his arms under his pupil's sleeping form. The soft snow worked to his advantage and he managed to get her up without so much as a twitch. As Teshin turned with his student in his arms, he came face to 'face' with her warframe.  
   
  Shrike had replaced the missing armor with a re-creation of the original Gersemi's 'skin' years ago and fitted it with a kavat-like helmet. One would think covering the exposed viscera and giving it a 'cute' visage would make it less intimidating, but even inert and un-moving that thing was still imposing to Teshin. He remembered just how casually she swatted the nikana out of his magnetically enhanced grip, and the scores its claws left on his armored hands just by grazing him. He would forever be grateful that when the Elder Queen ordered him to kill her, she fought him with her polearm instead. He was forever grateful that she came back for him at all...  
   
  He always thought it was strange how the Tenno seemed to take on the personality of their current frame. In the flesh, Shrike was generally a practical person, sometimes sarcastic, and yet also somewhat considerate. Almost as she was before the Ten-Zero incident, if a tad more spiteful and less respectful than she once was. In her Mag, she was inquisitive and perceptive, always with a question to be answered. In the Mirage frame that she used on occasion, she was playful and enjoyed showing off just a little too much. In her Valkyr however, she was cocky and quick to anger at the smallest things.  
   
  Teshin had once asked her why she seemed to act so differently depending on her frame. She couldn't really give him a full explanation, said it was like the warframes had their own 'sub-consious' that would _overwrite_ hers while she occupied them. She said that Valkyr 'remembered' what happened to it, or rather, to its predecessor while in Alad's labs. Those memories gave Valkyr her rage, and her strength, but also made her exceedingly protective of anyone deemed friend... Or perhaps that was Shrike. It was hard to tell.  
   
  It felt odd to leave her warframe, a potentially sapient being, out in the cold, but it was not like he could carry it and her at the same time. He would just have to trust that it would be safe on its own.  
   
  He made his way back through the tunnels and down to the ancient catacombs, taking care not to tread too much on the bones of the discarded Orokin vessels. He remembered how relieved his pupil was to find out the the 'Ravenous Golden Maw' was completely fictional. Evidently his little embellishment had quite the impact on her. Lucky for them both that it did, he had to elicit an fear response to rekindle her void powers and it needed to be unrelated to her returning memories from the Zariman. Moldering bones alone would not have done the trick.  
   
  The main chamber of the catacombs leaned to the right, but he took a well hidden crevasse to the left, a shortcut that would allow him to bypass most of the catacombs, as well as the second outside leg of the ascent. He had not yet told his student about this shortcut, The mountain path was broken and shattered, forcing his pupil to rely on her void dash to traverse it properly. He would tell her of the shortcut only when she could use the void to move as easily as she used the stones under her feet.  
   
  The crevasse led to a wide carved chute in the stone, and the chute led to a lower chamber of the old yuvan theater, a holding area for the corpses of the deceased. The Orokin gave their former bodies very little consideration before quite literally dumping them into the catacombs below. Even back then it seemed wrong to Teshin, how little they honored the people who gave their lives so that the Golden Lords could have their eternity. He remembered how guilty he felt upon having the audacity to be relieved when sourcing yuvan from the Dax caste fell out of style. 'Too common looking' was their main complaint.  
   
  He sighed and continued out of the chamber and down the hall, past storage rooms and servant quarters. He had considered cleaning a few of the lower rooms up to use as a temporary living space, but just being in them again simply brought back too many unpleasant memories of his time as a guard here. Ascending the stairs they came to the main floor where the private chambers for the _honored_ Orokin and the show room was. He wouldn't even consider refurbishing one of these opulent lodgings, he knew of the sick things that were once done there. He was also certain his pupil would probably prefer sleeping in the morgue or out in the snow, she still harbored a great hatred for the Orokin despite not actually remembering much of the mistreatment she and the other Tenno suffered at their hands. Some scars never heal though.  
   
  He carried his pupil across the threshold into the ostentatious show room and towards the makeshift camp he had made near the viewing pane. He set her down gently on her bedroll and covered her in a blanket. He knew she did not need the blanket for thermal regulation, but perhaps she would sleep better if she were cozy.  
   
  Through the polarized glass he could see faint glimmers of the sunset streaming in from the broken skylight. This room was dark even on a sunny day with the lights on, and given that his pupil was apparently having nightmares he decided that it might be better to have the camp well lit, so he lit up the nearest brazier and settled down on his own bedroll. He would not sleep just yet, or likely at all this night. Instead he would watch his pupil. He wasn't really sure what he could even do if she had a nightmare, talk softly to her perhaps? But for now there was nothing to do but wait, and meditate.  
   
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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be all one big chapter, buuuuut it is becoming quite long and taking a while to write, so I decided to break it up. 
> 
> Part 2 will be done shortly, part 3 might take a while.


End file.
